I see that the media today is playing up the possibility of a split between the National Party and the Liberal Party, now that the Nationals have declared that they will not support the Emissions Trading Scheme.

Today’s meeting of the federal council of the National Party discussed the ETS, but did not, at any time, issue an ultimatum to the Liberal party. In fact, the media speculation seems to be a media beat-up.

The Nationals’ formal objection to the government’s emissions trading legislation sends a clear message that it won’t support the draft laws as they stand, party leader Warren Truss says.

About 50 delegates voted to unanimously reject the emissions trading scheme (ETS) during Saturday’s session of the federal council meeting in Canberra.

“This is a clear message to the government and for people in regional areas whose jobs are at risk under Kevin Rudd’s CPRS (Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme) that the Nationals will be standing up for them,” Mr Truss told reporters at a doorstop after the council vote.
[..]
Asked if he was prepared for a coalition split at the next vote, Mr Truss said the Liberal and National parties had so far voted against each of the government’s 11 bills that make up the ETS.
[..]
Pushed further on the prospect of a split, Mr Truss said it was a matter for the Liberals as to whether they wanted to change their position on the ETS.

“The Nationals won’t be changing ours,” he said.

So the real story here is that the National Party and Liberal Party might vote differently if the Liberal Party change their stance on the ETS. Wow, exciting story. How some bored journalists have turned this in to “the end of the coalition is nigh!” is beyond me…but points to them for initiative in creative writing.

I suppose it’s possible that they’re basing it on the other “end of the coalition” beat-up today. A story in The Australian where they reported that a recent meeting of some Nationals had discussed the possibility of it…in an idle chit-chat sort of way.

But Senator Joyce played down the possibility of a split, saying some Nationals were “kite-flying” and that no vote had been taken. “I don’t think it will happen,” he said. “Some of the most peculiar things get floated at party meetings. But it doesn’t mean they will happen.”

If I was bound to do every little thing I’d ever discussed in the form of idle chit-chat with mates, I’d be in jail for the next seven thousand years and probably be missing a couple limbs…or I’d be the new dictator of Australia. No sane newspaper would report on the ruminations of my idle conversations, and it’s a pity that they take the idle conversations of the National Party so seriously.